1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a bathing aid for use by persons who find it difficult or impossible to enter or exit a bathtub. In particular, the invention is an extendable seating board which may be adjusted to span a bathtub so that a person may sit on the board while bathing and showering.
2. Prior Art
As persons age, or become infirm, or incapacitated, it is often difficult for them to use a bathtub in the conventional manner. There is a need for apparatus which will permit a person to make use of the bathing and showering facilities provided by a bathtub even though such persons may not be able to readily enter or exit the tub.
C. D. Kenney, et al., sought a solution to this problem with their invention of a BATH CHAIR FOR INVALIDS on which Pat. No. 2,237,076 was issued in April of 1941. Their solution was to provide a supportive board which spanned the bathtub and had a seat adjustably mounted on the board. The seat included a back support and arm rests.
Many persons are not so incapacitated that they require a seat such as that disclosed by Kenney. For their purposes a simple board spanning the opening would be sufficient. The person wishing to bath could then sit himself on the board without having to lower himself into the tub. A disadvantage of the Kenney Bath Chair was that it was not conveniently portable. The supporting board was long enough to span the width of any standard bathtub. Thus, it could not be readily carried in a person's baggage if they were traveling. We are a nation of transients. The number of travelers having infirmities or physical incapacities grows each year as public awareness of the needs of these individuals forces changes in building codes and improvements in older structures to reduce the traveling burdens imposed upon these individuals and to ease as much as possible their use of the various facilities, entryways and passages of a building. The inventor is unaware of any innovative aids that have been made available to travelers who have difficulty in entering and exiting bathtubs. It is the intention of this invention to provide such travelers with portable means which they can conveniently carry with them on their travels for use as an aid in bathing and showering.